Chapter 201 Family Alive
“You have no conscience!” Willie’s voice was sharp, his words biting with a deep anger. “Do you have any idea how devastated Athena was when her family abandoned her, one by one? When her mother died, she was just a little girl—where were you then? When her grandmother passed, do you know what she said to me? She told me she had no family left in the world. Where were you then?”
He thrust the flowers back at her. “You didn’t care when she was alive, and now you’re pretending to be all sad? Ugh! Give this flower to whoever you want!”
With that, he stormed off, leaving behind a heavy silence.
“How rude…” Jaxson muttered under his breath, glancing at Rose. “Madam, shall we go inside?”
Rose blinked, as if coming out of a daze. “What did he just say? What’s my granddaughter’s name?” she asked in a low voice, her mind racing.
“Athena… I believe,” Jaxson replied.
A name stirred something deep inside her. Athena Newton.
“Did he just say all of her family members are gone?” Rose asked again, her voice shaky.
“That’s what he meant,” Jaxson confirmed, his tone heavy.
A wave of dizziness hit her, and Jaxson quickly stepped in to steady her.
“Madam!” he exclaimed, his worry palpable.
“I’m fine,” she murmured, gathering herself. “Let’s go in. I… I need to see her.”
They walked together, the years between them and Stacy’s passing weighing heavily on Rose as they made their way to the tombstone. When she finally stood before it, there was Stacy, smiling as always in the photo.
Rose reached out a trembling hand and stroked the cold stone.
“Stacy,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I’ve learned the truth. It was Lien… she set you up. I… I was so foolish to be deceived!”
Her eyes fell to a name etched in the corner of the tombstone.
“Daughter: Athena Newton.”
Rose felt a jolt, as if struck by lightning.
“Athena Newton… It’s the Athena I know,” she whispered, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Ma’am, Athena also arranged for this joint tomb,” Jaxson reminded her gently.
Rose looked over, her mind reeling. Athena… her granddaughter, who was supposed to have a life full of love and joy… But her own ignorance had turned Athena’s life into a nightmare.
In a daze, Rose walked out of the cemetery. The weight of everything was too much to bear.
When she reached the car, a sudden wave of nausea overcame her, and she coughed up blood.
“Madam!” Jaxson’s voice cracked with panic as he rushed to her side, quickly lifting her into his arms. “We need to get to the hospital.”
Meanwhile, Athena had just finished sending out the gifts she had bought, arranging everything by express delivery. As she prepared to head back, her phone rang. It was Willie.
“Athena,” he said, his voice laced with urgency. “Do you know you still have family alive? There’s something I forgot to tell you. A while ago, a young man came to ask about your mother. He didn’t seem like a good person, but today, he showed up again with an old woman with gray hair and a big, dumb man. They went to your mother’s tomb! I asked, and she said she was your mother’s mother-in-law!”
Athena’s blood boiled. Was she really that clueless? Why couldn’t they just leave her mother in peace?
“I was furious,” Willie continued. “She was alive, but where was she when you needed her? I yelled at her!”
“Thank you, Willie,” Athena said, her voice warm with gratitude.
“I know what you’ve been through, how hard it’s been for you. That’s why I’m so angry at them.”
Athena smiled softly. “Thank you. Next time I see you, I’ll bring some wine.”
“No need for that,” he quickly responded. “I just want you to be happy.”
After chatting for a few more moments, she ended the call, her heart heavy with everything she had just learned.